1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a reel for the winding thereon of a web to form a roll, the reel thereafter being demountable to release the roll. The present invention particularly relates to such a reel having two mutually-engagable and disengagable parts. Most particularly, the present invention relates to such a reel having a pair of end cheeks and a shaft, the web being wound onto the shaft between the end cheeks.
The present invention is hereinafter described in relation to its use in the winding of a paper web in keeping a printed record of the transactions carried out by an autoteller. It is to be appreciated that this use of the present invention is by way of example only and is not intended to indicate a limitation to its field of application.
2. Prior Art
It is the custom in autotellers, cash registers and point of sale terminals, to maintain a printed record of the receipt given to the customer. A copy is made of each slip given to the customer on a continuous paper web. The copy can either be made in a separate printing operation or can be achieved by the use of two-layer self-copying paper, the top sheet being given to the customer and the continuous carbon copy on the bottom sheet being wound onto the record retaining reel.
It is necessary at intervals to change the reel as it becomes full. A first problem arises in that as the paper web is wound onto the reel the tension in each of the increasing number of layers is additive, causing the paper roll formed by winding the web onto the reel to become more and more tightly held on the shaft of the reel. The roll is very difficult, therefore, to remove from the reel. In some prior art reels, it has been known to make one of the end cheeks removable. This in no way solves the problem of the tight adherence of the roll on the reel. The removal of one end cheek simply allows better access to the paper roll. The paper roll can then be drawn from the shaft. In other prior art reels, protrusions have been provided on the removable end cheek extending across a portion of the shaft of the reel serving the dual function of gripping the start portion of the paper web to commence winding against the shaft and of providing a removable component of the shaft to relieve tension in the reel when the end sheet is removed. These other prior art reels are disadvantageous in that they provide for an asymmetry in the winding of the paper web onto the reel and in that the projections across the shaft must be mechanically exceedingly strong to prevent becoming wedged against the shaft causing the end check with which they are in association to become irremovable.
In starting the winding of the paper web onto a reel, it is necessary to feed by some means the beginning portion of the web onto the shaft. In some prior art reels, it is known to provide a slot in the shaft angled so as to grip the beginning of the web when the beginning of the web is fed therethrough and the shaft rotates in a preferred direction. This is quite an intricate operation and further requires that the reel be placed into whatever equipment it is to become part of in the correct orientation. If placed in the incorrect orientation, the reel will commence to rotate and merely pull the beginning portion of the web from the slot in the shaft. As earlier described, some other prior art reels grasp the paper beneath a projection extending across the shaft. In commencing the paper in such an apparatus, it is necessary to ensure that the tight-fitting projection passes over the paper. Once again, this is quite an intricate operation and time consuming. It is further necessary to ensure that the paper is started around the shaft in the correct direction.
In all of the prior are reels, the reel is made in two non-identical parts. The tooling costs of each part, being different, is cumulative and the cost of the reel is not minimal. Further, the manner of construction of the reels and constraints upon materials means that a mixture of metal and plastic parts must be employed.
It is, therefore, desirable to provide a reel for the winding thereon of a web where tooling costs are minimized, where the starting thereon of a web of paper is readily achieved and where the removal of a roll of paper wound onto the shaft is facilitated.